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Category: life lessons

De-ClutteringWhat happens when you don’t take out the trash or allow things to just accumulate? After a while, it starts to stink, you can’t conentrate, and it takes over. It”s all consuming and nothing gets done. It’s downright nasty.

Life is full of lessons and affirmations. Fore me, I care too much. I care about others and making sure they are well, happy, thriving. Sometimes it can backfire because I care more than the individual. When someone doesn’t “get it” or decides to continue down their current path, what I need to do is learn to love and relase them. I’m getting better, slowly, but I am getting better at this.This whack over the head “a-ha moment” took place this week. Someone decided to go down a different path, and that is something I cannot change. The only thing I am in charge of is my reaction to things. When I don’t let things get to me and realize to dig below the surface, things will be fine. Take what I need, throw away the rest, learn from it and move on.What this week has taught me is that people change, they go sideways, and may never take the same path you’re taking. All I can do is love them, release them and move on. Taking out the trash, getting rid of the clutter and making room for something better. When you get rid of the excees dead weight and allow the right people and things into your life, it’s amazing what happens.

My kids never cease to amaze me and today was no different. Today, Isaac, Precious and I went for a walk. Along the way, we made a few stops. For me, I would be in “go” mode – getting my miles in and getting home. Today, was different. We stopped and spoke with one of our neighbors, we took our time and on the way back, Isaac picked dandelions and made wishes on them. As I watched him do this, I realized that those moments are what makes life so enjoyable. The look on his face was priceless.

Making his wish

We continued on our walk and we came upon an apple tree in bloom. We stopped again and took pictures and once again, I watched as Isaac reveled in all the beauty that was around us. Once again, I realized that sometimes I just need to slow down and appreciate what is around me.Yeah, the bills need to be paid, the dishes need to be done, same story every day. But in those moments this afternoon, they will be in my memories forever and I have to thank my little guy for that.

Making the Main Thing the Main ThingLife is pretty funny. One day, things are great and you’re on top of the world. The next, you’re looking at what matters most and you really start to reflect on important people and things.We are granted this one life, and it’s up to us to live it to the fullest. Many will do all they can to experience this amazing existence, while others stay guarded and are so afraid to take that chance. What do you have to lose? What’s the worse that could happen? Do you want to live your life with regrets and what ifs? Are others holding you back? Do your fears take over? Have you ever stepped back to look at where you are now and ask, if tomorrow were your last day or if you knew this was your last week, did you live a full life? Would you be content?Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself those hard questions. Can you do that? Can you be tough on yourself? Everyone has a story; everyone has struggles. Everyone has dealt with some sort of hardship, obstacle, life-altering event that either make us stronger or make us very guarded. We are all flawed. We’re human. In all honesty, going with the crowd doesn’t make you unique – it just makes you a follower.Are you willing to step outside yourself? What matters most to you? Every day, I see and hear so many people who are so unhappy with their lives, their current situation, and instead of taking charge and making things better, they choose to sit back, complain, and make excuses.“I’ll do it tomorrow.” “Call me in a week.”“When things settle down.”“I’ve got to sleep on it.”“I need to talk it over with…”“It’s just not the right time.”“You just don’t understand.”“It’s different for me.”“It’s easy for you.”“I’m really busy.”“That’s not for me.”“I could never do that.”“I don’t have the money.”“I don’t have the time.”Are you guilty of saying any or all these things at some point in your life? After you said these things, did life miraculously get better? Did anything change? Did YOU take action to make those changes? Are you still where you are instead of where you want to be?What If?What if tomorrow never comes?What if you took that chance?What if it really worked?What if that phone call was the answer you were looking for?What if you were willing to go against the grain and step outside of yourself?What if you believed in yourself?Remember, nothing changes if nothing changes.PS: I’m not exempt from any of this, nor do I put myself in a high regard. I include myself in this equation as well. I’m just as flawed as everyone else and I have to ask myself these same tough questions.

Today, I was actually at a loss of what to share. But, earlier this evening, I saw a video posted of a young boy taking his first steps from his Dad to his Mom, while the Granddad watched and recorded the whole event. It lasted for about 40 seconds, but it spoke volumes. The looks on the Mom’s face as her boy made those steps toward her; stumbling a couple times, then getting back up and finally with outstretched arms, reaches his Mom in what could only be described as the winning shot, was a sight to behold.

And that one video got me to thinking…

Why do we want to rush the process of success, or better worded, BYPASS all the necessary steps to success, thinking we have a better understanding of how to get there than those who have paved the way for us? Why do we try to sidestep, or re-invent the wheel, instead of just following the steps and trusting the process?

When that little boy made the walk from his Dad to his Mom, they both practiced with him over and over and over, day in and day out. The first time, he fell and was most likely frustrated, and Mom and Dad were there to cheer him on and let him know it was okay. But, each day, he got better and better until he was at that point where his legs were strong enough and HE was ready to go from crawling to walking.

Trust the Process

Too often than not, we think we know better than others; we don’t need help or coaching. “Oh, I know that already,” or “I don’t need to know THAT,” or “I’ve already done that, I don’t need to go through that again.”

When did we become “Know-it-All’s?”

Is the process of learning a new skill or being trained by someone else any different than the little boy learning how to walk? Do we feel that at a certain age we don’t need to be taught anything else? Do we really think we know EVERYTHING?!?!?!

When you stop LEARNING, you stop GROWING!!! Every day is a new day to get better at something or learn something new. I love learning. I try to be like a sponge all the time because I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers. I will never claim to know it all. How can I? I haven’t experienced everything there is out there to experience.

And neither have YOU!!!

Look at Every Day as a Chance to Become a Better YOU

One of the great things about life is that many things and people are put before us to make us better. Even those who hurt us. It’s important not to dismiss the bad and only search for the good. For it’s those obstacles and “bad times” that builds us up, teaches us what not to do next time and become stronger, better, wiser. Make every day a new lesson and add it to your Book of Life. Read a book, take up art, learn to cook, go BASE jumping, ALWAYS be a work in progress and explore who you are.

Trust the process, never stop learning, check your ego at the door, let others teach you and be OPEN!!!

Another Day, Another StormWell, this has been the winter that just won’t end!!! My goodness, to say that we’ve had quite the winter would be an understatement. This morning around 7:45, the power went out. It’s been teasing us all week, and hubby and I talked about being prepared just in case.Just in case came today!!!

View from my back yard this morning. The ice man cometh!!!

I heard on the radio that about 18,000 customers are without power. I also saw on the internet some power lines that have been snapped due to all the ice build-up. Goodness gracious, this is too much!!!Man, oh man, I’m not gonna lie, I am SO TIRED OF WINTER!!! Getting that generator started was no walk in the park, so I had to call on my neighbors to help. Thank goodness for friendly neighbors. John came over and had to take the darn thing apart because it started to spark (which it shouldn’t do.) Turns out, there was a part loose, so he pulled a MacGuyver on the generator so that it would be easier to turn on and off. A few hours later, they called to check in and find out if we needed any extra gas for the generator, just in case. Oh, another sigh of relief. He filled 2 jugs for me and no joke, not even 10 minutes after he brought back the jugs, the generator stopped. Why? It ran out of gas!!!

So much ice, the branches are bending.

Thank goodness for friendly neighbors, especially since hubby’s working out West. So, the boys have been out of school since last Wednesday, due to storms. It started storming again and it looks like we’re in for another 10cm overnight and maybe more snow tomorrow. Really? Seriously? Tomorrow’s April for crying out loud!!!So tired of winter!!!The boys have been good sports about the whole thing, even though I know they’re ready to climb the walls. Oh wait, they’re already doing that – HA!!! I know I’m climbing the walls.

Icicles formed on our satellite dish.

I gotta say, I’m pretty proud of myself and I usually don’t toot my own horn. But, gosh darn it, hubby’s on the other side of the country, we’ve been dealing with back to back storms and for the most part, I’ve been handling this on my own. Some days I lose it, not gonna lie. But, knowing that there are people around looking out for us if we need them is a big sigh of relief.Now, if someone would just turn off winter and hit the spring switch!!!The winds have picked up and I’m sure we’re in for a doozy tonight. The crews from Maritime Electric have been going non-stop since this morning working to restore power. Many thanks to all those workers out there doing everything they can to turn the lights back on. We’re pretty fortunate, some aren’t. Please take a moment and pray for all the workers out there and for anyone who may be in the dark and/or alone. I’ve come to realize that nothing should be taken for granted because life can turn on a dime, just like that.

Day 1 – Another Day, Another ChallengeChallenges seem to bring out the best in me, and so I’ve decided to challenge myself once again so I can hone my blogging skills. Hone? How about FIND my blogging skills?!?!?! My blogs have been very sporadic and all over the place. I’ve got lots to say and just not sure how to say it. So, yesterday, it hit me – if I am going to get better at blogging, I’m going to have to be consistent with blogging.

I’m not sure how this will pan out, but I am nervous, excited and looking forward to this challenge. What will happen? My hope is that over the next 100 days, I will develop a great desire to blog more often. Some will be planned (i.e. reviews, essays, etc.), most will be on the fly, based on my emotions. Some will be quick little posts, others novels. But, I will always be honest and try to be as real as possible.Thank you, in advance, to those who decide to follow me on this journey. I welcome any and all feedback and hope these next 100 days will be a growing process for you and me alike. Take care, be well, and thanks for reading.

I will say this about how I raise my boys…In and out of our house, we have rules. If they ask for something, they must use the words, “Please” and “Thank you.” They must be respectful to their elders, and any adult in the room. If they get out of line (use a tone or language that we don’t like) they will get a slap on the hand, mouth or bum so they learn their lesson. They must clean up after themselves, do chores and help around the house in any way we see fit. They must ALWAYS be there for each other, because at the end of the day, they are brothers and they have each other to lean on for support.

I am a strict Mom. I can also be a bit uptight. When we go out in public, I fuss over them, and make sure they behave themselves. I dislike it when they try to overstep the boundaries, and they do test the limits ALL THE TIME!!! I’ve yelled at them in public, I have made an example of them in front of other kids, and they know I will call them out at any time.

Why do I do this? I am their MOTHER!!! I am not their friend, I am not their equal. I am their superior and they must respect my authority. They MUST listen to their parents, they must follow OUR rules. I’m not here to cater to their every need or give them everything they want. They’ve heard me say “No” to some of their requests, they’ve seen me blow my top; they’ve seen me cry. They say they will listen, not do it again, but 9 times out of 10, the cycle has started all over again.

There are times I wonder if the words I’m saying get through to them or if I’m just talking to the air. I know they understand me and get what I’m doing. I’m also not a complete ogre who walks around with the yardstick. We have other rules that we live by in our home. We sit down at the table for meals all the time. We say grace before every meal. We say prayers every night before bed. We say “I love you” more times than you can imagine. We give each other lots of hugs and kisses and we say “Sorry” when we’ve done something wrong.

My boys won’t be boys for very long. Next month, my oldest starts the 3rd grade and my middle is entering Kindergarten. By next year, ALL 3 boys will be in school and there are going to be pressures from kids at every angle. They are BOYS. They are impressionable. They are smart. They are talented and they have a bright future ahead. As their Mother, it is my job to ensure they are prepared for the world – the good, bad and ugly. They will make mistakes, and hopefully they will learn from them. We have a pretty strong bond and they feel comfortable telling us their troubles and I hope it continues as they become TEENAGE BOYS.One day, they will grow up and become MEN. They will hopefully have a great education, a successful career of their choosing (even if they decide not to partner up with me) and eventually (hopefully) they will fall in love, get married, and have children of their own. Then and ONLY then, will they understand WHY I was so strict with them as babies. One day, they may even have a baby girl (or 2 or 3) of their own who will grow up to be a teenage girl and eventually a WOMAN. They will want their daughter to respect herself, her body and treat it like the temple it is. They will want their daughter to know that her beauty comes from within and not have to seek it in the wrong places. They will want their daughter to know and understand that saying “NO” is okay if something doesn’t feel right and that at ANY TIME, they can call on their Dad for help if needed.My boys may not like and or appreciate all the rules and structure now, but when they get older, they will thank me later. Why? I am their Mother, I love them very much and it’s MY job to help raise them to become true GENTLE MEN!!!